The invention relates to a method for providing a stack composed of book covers for the production of finished books and an apparatus as for providing a stack composed of book covers for the book production, as well as a book production line provided with an apparatus of this type.
Known book production lines respectively combine one book block and one book cover to form a book during successive cycles.
The book blocks and the book covers are normally produced in separate machines. In known book production lines, the book block initially moves separately from the associated book cover through the processing stations, for example the stations for rounding, pressing, applying adhesive to the back, attaching headbands and the like. The so-called marriage or joining of the book block and the book cover subsequently takes place in the casing-in machine, wherein the casing-in machine is understood to be one production unit in the book production line.
Once it arrives at the casing-in machine, the book block which rests straddling on a saddle plate is guided vertically past an applicator for applying adhesive to the sides of the book block, for example an applicator as disclosed in European patent document EP 1 780 037. In the process, adhesive is applied to two fly leaves of the book block. Via feeding rails and with the aid of a pusher, the book cover is supplied horizontally above the side adhesive applicator and is positioned above the arriving book block. Following this, a pressing on device such as disclosed in European patent document EP 1 780 038 takes over the book cover and joins it precisely fitting with the book block.
Known book production lines process medium to large book editions. An equivalent number of book covers are therefore made available for a series consisting of several book blocks. The sequence is not important since the cover and book block of each book is joined in the same way for the same edition.
However, when producing personalized books such as photo albums, the book block and the cover represent unique items. An unambiguous identification of the book cover and the book block is thus generally a decisive criterion for producing personalized books or small and micro-editions. To ensure a non-problematic processing in the machine, either the book cover or the book block must take on a control function. As a result, one component of the later book is used to predetermine for the book production line which part must be joined to what other part.